Flavor and Freedom

Spicy Thai Noodles – and a peek into life with boys

Racine Verwolf — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:23:34 +0000

The recipe I want to share with you today was inspired by one that I found via everyone’s favorite time-suck, Pinterest. I took one basic idea from the original recipe that I had not previously thought of- infusing my own spicy Asian oil for the sauce! Brilliant, I say.

We’ll get to the food soon enough, but it has been a long first day “back to reality” since Christmas break began and I need to dote over my amazing boys for a minute. We are blessed to have Dan work at a college which shuts down completely during Christmas break, which means no work for him! That equals lots of quality family time. We took in a Christmas light show, a huge moving train display at a local mall, and lots of good, old fashioned claymation Christmas movies. It was magical!

We also had brunch at one of our favorite places here in Grand Rapids, Marie Catrib’s. There aren’t many places you can get Vegan, gluten-free stuffed french toast. Needless to say, the little men were in heaven.

I’m extremely reluctant to let go of my Christmas decorations. The tree has been down for a while, but all the lights and garlands and gold and silver, sparkly goodness is still there, warming my heart and annoying everyone else.

My favorite piece of holiday decor this year was something new that I acquired second-hand; these lovely little deer. They’re what I’m going to miss most when all the Christmastide cheer goes back in the box for another long eleven months.

Now that it’s back to “business as usual”, we’re busy with some of our more ~~fun~~ educational activities. Such as:

Car Wash! Always a hit. I just lay out a towel (crucial step) and have the boys gather their toy cars. The Pampered Chef “lift and serve” becomes a ramp into the soapy car wash 9×13, and a large tupperware serves as the rinse cycle.

I also tried this disaster once, since Gavin’s skin reacts to the wheat in play-dough; cornstarch and water goop. This was a fun experiment and a good opportunity to explore the differences in solids and liquids. However, it quickly became a legit mess.

Alright, now what you’ve all been waiting for!

The original recipe called for 3/4 C. of oil, which I was not accepting- so I cut it down to 1/2, which was still quite a bit, so you could get away with even less.

I also use meals like this is a vessel for loads of veggies. A little bit of pasta mixed in with an abundance of rainbow foods is delicious and nutritious!

Spicy Thai Noodles with lots of veggies

1 lb spaghetti noodles of choice (I like to use Trader Joe’s organic brown rice spaghetti)
1/4 – 1/2 C. Sesame Oil
1 T. Toasted Sesame Oil (optional, but I think it adds a good amount of flavor)
2 T. Red chili pepper flakes (We like it spicy, so you can adjust this according to your taste)
6 T. Wheat-free Tamari
6 T. Honey
As many vegetables of whatever variety as you want! Some suggestions are: Broccoli, cabbage, leeks, red or yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, shallots (also optional, one 14 oz. block of extra firm tofu, cubed)

Cook the pasta, set aside. In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and red pepper flakes until the oil starts bubbling, then remove from heat.

Whisk together the Tamari and honey in a bowl. Place a mesh strainer over the bowl of sauce mix and pour the oil out through the strainer. The pepper flakes will stay in the strainer, allowing only the infused oil to pass through. Whisk that together with the sauce.

Place the prepared veggies into a large skillet or wok and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes, to soften. I sometimes sprinkle a little garlic powder and ginger into the veggies; it’s totally up to you. Add the noodles to the skillet and mix together with the veggies. Pour in the sauce. Cook together on medium heat for a few minutes until heated through. Serve and eat, baby!

If you so desire, you can garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

Waffle Sandwiches and Christmas Jams

Racine Verwolf — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:31:05 +0000

I am willing to bet that you all know what this is a picture of:

That’s right, it’s a McGriddle.

I have this thing for the sweet and savory combo. When McGriddles launched, they were a provocative, envelope pushing fast food breakfast concept. Also, they are delicious. Also, they contain 18 grams of fat and 1,080 grams of sodium and 240 mg of cholesterol. According to Livestrong, the limit on daily cholesterol intake should be between 200 and 300 mg. So forget about any meat, dairy or eggs for the rest of the day! (Personally, I believe 200 or 300 mg is far too much, also!)

Comfort breakfast food is so satisfying, and oatmeal can only be exciting for so many mornings in a row. So I came up with my own breakfast sandwich with an indulgent feel.

Waffle Sandwiches with Tempeh Bacon and Hashbrowns (Recipe makes two sandwiches)

1 Recipe tempeh bacon
1 Green pepper
1 Medium onion
1 C. diced frozen hashbrown potatoes, or two frozen hashbrown patties
4 Waffles (I use the wheat-free variety from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 C. Mozzarella Daiya cheese shreds (optional)
Real maple syrup

The assembly for these is quite simple. First, make your tempeh bacon and set aside.

Then, saute the pepper and onion (and hashbrowns if you’re using diced). No oil is necessary for these, just add a little water to the pan as needed. If you are using hashbrown patties, stick those in the toaster with your waffles.

Place the hashbrown on the waffle, followed by the tempeh bacon. Cover that with your pepper and onion mix. Top with Daiya if you are using it, and put the other waffle on top. If you want to be really thorough, you can cook the whole thing in a grill pan for a minute or two, but if the smoky sweet smell of the tempeh bacon meshing with the savory onions and peppers is making you impatient, it’s good to eat at this point as well.

Drizzle the whole sandwich with real maple syrup. Indulge.

I’m pretty sure this sandwich tastes even better if eaten while also listening to Christmas music. Yeah, I’m one of those wierdos. I do have my standards, however. The day after Thanksgiving is my day to start listening to holly, jolly tunes. And since I do have it on every second of every day, not just any old Christmas music will do. I am quite particular. If you love Christmas music and are looking for something a little different to deck the halls to this year; or if it’s not really your favorite thing, I have compiled a list of yuletide albums that are guaranteed not to annoy the junk out of you. Here are my favorites:

Songs for Christmas – Sufjan Stevens

This Warm December; A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 1

O Holy Night – Sarah Groves

A Very She and Him Christmas – She and Him

The Glee Christmas Album (Vol. 1 and 2, and soon to be 3!)

Tchaikosky’s “The Nutcracker”

What are your favorite Christmas albums or songs?

Plaid and Pizza

Racine Verwolf — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:55:56 +0000

A flannel, plaid shirt is sort of a prerequisite to living in Michigan. We won’t let you in without one. I kid, but really-what kind of Midwesterner are you if you don’t own a flannel?

I have a favorite way of wearing plaid. A flannel shirt with a boyfriend fit, layered with a tank underneath and a puffer vest on top. When you want to go to that place between this:

and this:

a layered and appropriately accessorized flannel shirt is your destination.

Plaid flannel shirt, Forever 21; brown puffer vest with faux fur collar, VanHeusen Outlet; Jean leggings, Express; Brown faux leather riding boots, 6pm.com

This is a great look for running around town in the Fall. I keep my accessories really simple with a more rugged casual look like this. I’m wearing Premier’s “Token of Love” necklace and “Organic” bracelet.

This is such a cool bracelet! It’s a brown faux leather braided cord with an accent piece of hammered silver.

And just a simple, silver necklace.

Happy plaid-ing!

Next “P” on my list for today is Pizza. Who doesn’t love pizza night? Whether you have it once a week, once a month, or twice a year, we can all appreciate a good pizza night.

Pizza night in our little family has endured its share of evolution over the years. It started out like this:

Then this:

And then, we dove into the dangerous world of gluten free pizza crusts. We tried so many of the commercial crust mixes and were disenchanted with all of them. We ended up settling on a socca crust pizza that looked like this:

This is a great, easy crust for our boys who cannot tolerate gluten.

While the socca is good, it doesn’t always satisfy that “pizza” craving. My husband and I are not as intolerant of the glutenous nature of regular pizza crust. For you locals, check out Meijer Organics’ Premade pizza crusts. They are in that funny little pizza section with all the crusts and sauce and are only $3.89 for two crusts! While you’re there, grab a jar of Meijer Organics’ pizza sauce for $2.00 and you are well on your way. Add some Daiya vegan cheese, artichokes, spinach, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Gourmet, homemade pizza is served.

I have a habit of dunking my pizza in white balsamic vinegar. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. And do try it, seriously.

Pizza is usually considered to be junk food; it does not have to be, though. My version of pizza night is lower in fat, cholesterol free, and abundant with vitamins and calcium thanks to those veggie toppings. Choose this quick and easy homemade pizza over frozen or delivery, and your energy level and waistline will thank you. Pizza no longer has to be an “everything in moderation” food.

I’ll leave you with a photo-bomb via my youngest son.

Fall Layering. And covering your Tush.

Racine Verwolf — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:00:20 +0000

Let’s talk about layers. I want to start out by saying that I strongly believe that getting layering right is a skill learned only after failure. For some of us, it may only take once…for many others, the trial and error process will be a but more prolonged.

If you’re not already well versed in the language of layers, it can be tempting to make your first attempts with new pieces belonging to the latest trends. I would advise, however, that you start out with the basics you already have, until you feel confident. You’ll get less confused and feel less pressure to make it work. It’s easier to work with pieces you’re already familiar with.

Side note- if you don’t already own a well stocked closet of basics, you need to get on that, like, yesterday. For the fall I would recommend a black tank, white tank, black long sleeve shirt and white long sleeve shirt, a well made, well fitting pair of jeans, a casual dress, black boots, brown boots, a brightly colored or printed cardigan and at least two pairs of leggings.

One of the best wardrobe purchases I ever made was a sleeveless bodycon dress from H&M. In the summer, I can pair it with a statement belt and cropped leggings, but in the fall- the possibilities are endless with a basic piece like that. A long, form-fitting tank or dress can be worn under multiple ensembles to make things that would not otherwise, work.

Leggings do not amply conceal your butt.

Please accept the above statement and put it into play every. time. you. leave. the house.

Leggings are fantastic. I am so, so grateful for this fashion trend and I personally hope that it stays for a good long while. However, what is unnerving to me is the the number of women out there who do not quite understand how exposed their derrière is when they fail to wear a long enough top over those very skin tight, and often very thin bottoms. You’re leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. You may have a very fine rear, but let’s stay classy, shall we?

Okay, back to layering.

Here are some visual examples of how I like to layer, and particularly with the use of leggings:

This is a 3/4 sleeve tunic style cotton top under a blouse. The sleeves of your first layer have to fit neatly enough with the top layer so you stay comfortable and it doesn’t look all bunchy and forced. Think along the same lines when considering the weight of the material. My tunic is nice and airy and on the thinner side, while that blouse is actually a nice heavy cotton blend.

I fell in love with shorts and tights/leggings last year. You can stretch your wardrobe in this way, while giving yourself a lot more options to play around with. I’m wearing denim shorts with brown leggings. NO bare bottom.

Completing my layers, I added an infinity scarf and a long pendant necklace (Florence-from Premier Designs!), and stacked bracelets (Eccentric and It’s A Wrap, also Premier!)

Fall is for Layers by racine12204 featuring urban expressions

This ensemble utilizes two things I love to mix…patterns and textures. The leopard leggings, subtly polka dotted sweater, lace dress, and faux fur, forest green vest make for a sheer feast for the fashion senses.

That lace dress is the key element here that makes the rest possible and adds that extra dimension. You could go with a longer sweater also, but I love the way a peek-a-boo bodycon dress with a bit of texture kicks the outfit up a notch. Or maybe even two.

In short, make sure your layers feel right, give you room to move, and look effortless. Even if putting it together was not.

And for goodness sake, cover your tush.

Tempeh bacon, quinoa and spinach slaw burritos.

Racine Verwolf — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:52:57 +0000

Our favorite eatery here in Grand Rapids (Bartertown Diner) turned us on to burritos in a big way. They have Burrito Thursdays, Burritotown late nights, and any delicious “Bowl of Food” can be turned into an awesome burrito.

Fantastic as they may be, Bartertown burritos could quickly become a very expensive habit for us. Thus was born my attempts at making Bartertown inspired burritos at home. This particular recipe has been declared a “winner”, and I never get complaints when I make these babies. The flavors are smoky, indulgent, and salty/sweet. They are bursting with protein and calcium and can be made gluten free.

Never had tempeh? Never cooked tempeh? Be not afraid. Tempeh is fermented soy beans. It is rich in protein and tastes great (mostly because it’s good at absorbing whatever flavor you cook it in). It is super easy to work with, and I find it in my regular grocer, in the produce section. It is refrigerated, so try looking where your grocer stores refrigerated tofu and soy meat replacements.

Tempeh bacon, quinoa and spinach slaw burritos (Makes two large burritos)

2 Burrito size tortillas
2 C. cooked quinoa

For the slaw:

2 C. fresh organic spinach (or kale or chard- any dark leafy green will do!)
1/2 C. Dried cherries or cranberries
1/3 C. Veganaise
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Maple syrup

For the Tempeh bacon:

1 Block organic tempeh, cubed
1 t. Liquid smoke
1-2 T. Maple syrup
1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T. Olive oil

Heat a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Mix all tempeh bacon liquids, and toss in the cubes of tempeh. Mix until the tempeh is well coated. Place the cubes in the pan, reserving the liquid. Cook for a few minutes, until they start to brown. Pour the remaining liquid over the tempeh and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the slaw, chop the spinach and put in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Lay your tortilla flat. First add a pile of quinoa, then the slaw, and then place the tempeh cubes on top. Wrap it all up and put the burrito in your saute pan (or a grill pan if you have one). Heat through. Voila. Delish.

For a low-carb, or naturally gluten-free version, simply place a heap of quinoa on your plate, top with slaw and tempeh and enjoy with a fork.

The Great Brow Matter

Racine Verwolf — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:46:36 +0000

Indicative of some of the outlandish conversations my husband and I have, he once asked me what is the first thing I notice about members of the same sex.

It didn’t take me long to reply “eyebrows”. Shoes are a close second, but brows are definitely the first thing. Strange? I don’t know, but I can’t help taking notice of a girls’ brows.

Badly groomed brows are the easiest way to ruin your looks. I’m sorry if that seems harsh, but I’m serious about this. The slightest alteration to your brows have a profound effect on the constitution of your entire face. Tread lightly.

There are a few common errors you will witness if you start taking notice of ladies’ brows while out and about.

The most prevalent is likely the “over-tweeze”. You (or your small-town stylist), went a little tweeze crazy and destroyed any semblance of a natural shape.

I am going to use my girl Keira as an example of the carnal sins of eyebrow shaping.

Keira Knightly is a gorgeous girl with killer brows. How much effect do her brows have on her overall appearance? Let’s find out.

That is the over-tweeze. The picture on the left shows her natural shape, enhanced with a minimal amount of shaping. The picture on the left thins the center far too much, and attempts to create its own arch, which will always look as unnatural as it is.

Next we have what I call, for lack of a better term, the “In Too Far”:

This look has become one of my greatest beauty pet-peeves. Please don’t do this to yourself. There is a very simple guideline to keep in mind. From the tear duct, up.

Perfection! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Feel free to clean up the middle if you need to, but leave the beginning of those gorgeous brows alone!

Finally, my last example of brows-gone-wrong is the “Hockey Stick” brow. Self explanatory.

Try to avoid such blunt lines and angles at all costs.

If you have your brows professionally done, be “overly” direct in describing what you want. Just like some stylists will chop off four inches of your locks when you request a trim, certain similar freedoms may be taken with your brows.

Here are some ladies that I think have the brow thing down.

The Olsens

Natalie Portman

Lucy Hale

Rachel Weisz- This woman has the eyebrows of a goddess! Look at them!

What are your thoughts on eyebrows?

Oat and Flax Pancakes (Two Variations)

Racine Verwolf — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:11:31 +0000

I worked at IHOP for two and a half years as a server. During my time there, I learned a lot about the service and hospitality industry, people’s 2 A.M. breakfast food cravings, and….pancakes.

We were allowed an entire free meal for every shift worked, and I worked 4-5 days a week, so you could say I’ve eaten my share of pancakes for an entire lifetime. However, I still love pancakes; when made with wheat free, non-dairy ingredients in my home.

I’ve experimented with a lot of the Gluten Free pancake mixes over the last few years and they all had the same starchy, heavy, nutrient-lacking attributes.

So, I decided if this family was every going to enjoy pancakes again, I was going to have to concoct my own little mix. After several attempts, and several failures, and even more near successes, I think we have a winner.

Oat and Flax Pancakes with Banana and Walnuts

2 C. Gluten Free Oat flour (I made my own by grinding rolled oats in my Magic Bullet- but Bob’s would work great)
1 C. Whole rolled oats
1 t. Baking powder
1 t. Vanilla
1/4 t. Sea salt
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1 T. Ground flax seed
1 Large carrot, shredded in small pieces
2 C. Non-dairy milk (I usually use Almond or Soy)
1 Large, ripe banana- mashed.

Spray a large, flat skillet with organic non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients, mix until incorporated. I use a 1/3 C. measuring cup to scoop the pancake batter and drop onto the skillet.

Cook until you see the edges bubble up a bit. They will be thicker and heartier than your average pancake, so just keep an eye on them. Flip, cook a bit longer and, Voila!

Garnish with sliced banana and additional chopped walnuts, if you so desire, and maple syrup of course!

If you’re not a huge banana pancake person, (uhhh….you’re crazy.) you can nix the bananas and walnuts and sub in a Cup of berries of your choice, fresh or frozen. Equally as delicious.

Blackberry-Blueberry Pancakes with Tofu Scramble

I also like to enjoy the leftover pancakes with a little peanut butter and melted chocolate chips on top. Oh man.

Chickpea Smash Fresh Rolls

Racine Verwolf — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:05:56 +0000

I have recently become enamored with rice paper. Admittedly, the strange and sticky papers seemed too intimidating to me for a while, and I hesitated trying them for far too long.

Now that I have, I can’t stop making fresh rolls!

I love the neutrality of rice paper. You can really stuff them with anything your little heart desires.

The simplest filling has become a lunch habit for me, and is as follows:

Simple fresh rolls with spicy peanut sauce (Serves 1)

3 Round rice papers
1 Handful fresh cilantro
1/2 Large avocado
1 Carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 Handful finely chopped spinach

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/4 C. Crunchy peanut butter
1 T. Liquid Aminos (or wheat free Tamari)
1 T. Lemon Juice
A sprinkle of red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

Fill a large, shallow bowl with warm water and immerse the rice paper for about 20 seconds, to soften. Spread the paper out on a flat surface and fill the center with a line of one third of all ingredients. Fold in the top and bottoms, then roll the sides up tightly.

Mix your sauce ingredients well. Dip, and enjoy!

I also made a chickpea smash fresh roll with spinach coconut curry slaw. It was a total hit, and I can’t wait to make them again!

Chickpea Smash Fresh Rolls with Spinach Coconut Curry Slaw (Serves 2)

For the chickpea smash:

1 -1/2 C. Cooked chickpeas, or 1 can
2 Celery stalks
2 t. Liquid Aminos or wheat free Tamari
1/2 t. Onion powder
1-2 Garlic cloves
1 t. Chili powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until chickpeas are “smashed” and all ingredients are well incorporated. Put in a bowl and set aside.

For the slaw:

1 1/2 C. Fresh spinach- finely chopped
1 Small carrot, shredded in small pieces
1/3 C. Veganaise
1 t. Curry powder
1 T. Shredded coconut

Mix it all together in a bowl!

Fill the rice papers the same way as with the simple rolls. I do the chickpea smash first, then add the slaw on top. You could do the slaw with any leafy green you have, or use a cabbage blend to make it more of a true slaw.

Do you like making fresh rolls? What are your favorite fillings?

Springtime wishes and Banana Bread

Racine Verwolf — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:47:50 +0000

I know I’m not alone in my obsession with Pinterest. I have always been an internet surfer, and had 50+ pages bookmarked in my browser. Whenever I saw something I liked, I bookmarked the page, with the best intention of going back there someday and baking that cake, emulating that outfit, or trying my hand at _______ (fill in the blank).

You can guess the outcome; a crowded bookmarks folder and nothing to show for it.

This is why I love Pinterest. I can keep all the wonderful ideas I find in one easy-to-access, well organized place.

I’m not awesome at coming up with things to do with my toddler and preschooler. We spend a lot of time reading together, and both boys love helping me in the kitchen, but I’m not fantastically creative when it comes to activities. The internet introduced me to the idea of a sensory bin, and I absolutely love them!

To make a sensory bin, you pick a theme and then collect odds and ends which relate to that theme. I made one with a “spring time” theme, and was amazed at the educational value of such a toy and activity. I simply raided the dollar store for things I thought would look cute in a spring time bin. With supervision, my boys played with it for much longer than I would have thought, and my three year old really enjoyed learning about how bees take nectar from flowers, assist in pollination, and make honey.

While we love to dream of the warmth, sunshine, and outdoor activities of spring; it is unfortunately still very cold and bleak here, so a warm and comforting breakfast is most definitely called for.

I slightly adapted the banana bread recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie to make it gluten free. This bread is so good, seriously. It does everything banana bread should do; golden brown on the outside, gooey, warm and sweet on the inside. And it’s super easy!

Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread

1 C. Oat Flour
1 C. Bob’s Gluten Free flour blend
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/3 C. Non-dairy milk
1 and 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. and 1 T. agave or maple syrup
1 and 1/2 T. lemon juice
2 c tightly-packed, mashed banana – I use 4 large bananas

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix well. In another large bowl, combine wet (all remaining) ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated. Spray a loaf pan with oil, pour in the batter. Bake for 50 minutes.

I can’t believe it’s vegan!

Kids and Veggies

Racine Verwolf — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:01:35 +0000

After making the decision to cut dairy, eggs and meat out of our lives, the one thing that could have caused me to lie awake at night was the question of whether I was going to be able to get my kids to eat enough vegetables to make this diet sustainable and healthy for them.

I soon realized that if they were not eating enough vegetables as an omnivore, going vegan would neither help nor harm.

Running through the list of daily veggies my kids consume helped me to rest assured that they were going to be okay.

I would like to address the issue of “hiding vegetables” by sneaking them into unlikely foods, sometimes in an unidentifiable form. I do this on a regular basis, but not for the purpose of deceit, or because it’s the only way my kids will eat their vegetables.

So why bother with pureeing and mixing veggies into other foods? While I know they are consuming a generous amount of “green stuff” on a regular basis, I believe that everything they eat should serve the highest possible nutritional purpose. Realistically, I also know that not every meal can be raw broccoli, green beans and spinach salad. I want my kids to be able to enjoy pizza, smoothies, and even the occasional baked good. I also want these items to have something to offer beyond kid-pleasing texture, sugar, and great taste. I want it all to be good for them.

The following are a few ideas to make sure you’re incorporating enough vegetables into a “kid-friendly” diet.

Puree it!

You can puree pretty much anything, and put it pretty much anywhere. Sub a small amount of liquid in your baked goods for some pureed spinach or carrots. Try adding pumpkin to your morning oatmeal. And one of my personal favorites, pureeing leafy greens and adding them to pasta sauce for spaghetti or lasagna, or homemade pizza.

Roast it!

Something about small, crispy pieces of cauliflower, carrots or green beans is so irresistible to my boys that they often don’t make it onto plates, but instead are immediately consumed straight from the baking sheet!For cauliflower, chop up one head, toss in a bowl with a small amount of olive oil, lemon juice, and a teensy bit of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook it on the top rack at 450 for 30-40 minutes.

I found an amazing (and easy!) sweet potato fry recipe at Simply Recipes. Slice three or four large sweet potatoes. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, 2 t. sugar, 2 t. salt and 1 T. garam masala. Cook on top rack at 450 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.

Freeze it!

My boys think anything that’s crispy and frozen is extra fun for some reason. This is helpful because in the winter I buy a lot of organic frozen veggies, so it’s already in their preferred state. Broccoli, grean beans, cauliflower…they’re like veggie popsicles!

Juice It!

I would love to have a juicer or a Vitamix someday, but until then, my blender and Magic Bullet have been turning out awesome juices and smoothies for my boys. Take a generous handful of greens, once diced apple, one ripe banana, some walnuts, cashews, flax or chia, two cups of water and a small squeeze of agave. Blend it all together and serve instead of that sugary store-bought juice.Replace the apple with a small avocado (or half a large one), and the water with almond milk and you have a delicious, nutrient rich smoothie.

Give it to ‘em again!

If Johnny said “no” to broccoli last week, and you’re preparing it again this week, don’t exclude him from at least having to have them on his plate. He may complain and fuss, but you can calmly tell him to just leave it there and eat what he can. Eventually, without being forcedto eat his veggies (and in turn, hate the presence of them), he will eventually, on his own, decide to give it a try. After all, it keeps showing up on his plate, he might as well do something with it. Raw carrots were a struggle with us for a couple of weeks, but now my three year old often requests them for his afternoon snack.

Above all, don’t give up. Nutrition for our little ones is so incredibly important. Eating “anything” is not better than eating “nothing”. Allowing a child to fill up on bread simply because that’s all they’ll eat does not sit well with me. I’m not a fan of what that must be teaching them about the purpose of food, and the consequences of the foods they choose.